How King Mohammed VI Turned Moroccan Islam into a Tool of Influence Across Africa
A Strategic Fusion of Faith, Politics, and Soft Power is Extending Morocco’s Religious and Geopolitical Reach.
Watan-Under the headline: “How Commander of the Faithful Mohammed VI Turned Moroccan Islam into a Tool of Influence in Africa,” the French magazine Jeune Afrique reported that through reforms, institutional modernization, and the consolidation of Sufi orders, the Moroccan monarch transformed religion into a true diplomatic instrument via a precise strategy that blends faith, politics, and African soft power.
The magazine emphasized that in Morocco, religion is not merely a spiritual matter—it is also a strategic tool. Since ascending the throne in 1999, Mohammed VI has made it his mission to transform “Moroccan Islam” into a real lever of influence and a religious soft power whose impact is difficult to quantify in global rankings but is rooted in a long historical legacy.
“Since the travels of Ibn Battuta [the 14th-century Moroccan explorer], a spiritual connection has existed between Morocco and Africa,” the magazine quotes a Moroccan academic specializing in the field. When Senegalese pilgrims traveled to Mecca, they would often stop in Fez to pray at the Tijaniyya zawiya. Today, the Moroccan king is investing in these same spiritual ties on a regional level. Moroccan Islam—structured, regulated, and exported—has become a political resource and an effective soft tool of influence.
A Long-Term Strategy
Jeune Afrique explains that this ambition is part of a long-term strategy aimed at ensuring internal stability, countering extremism, and extending Morocco’s influence beyond its borders. At the heart of this plan is the king’s religious role as “Commander of the Faithful.”
The magazine recalls a key speech by King Mohammed VI on April 30, 2004, in which he addressed Moroccan scholars: “We are now completing and implementing a comprehensive, multi-dimensional strategy to protect Morocco from extremism and terrorism.”
From that point forward, the direction was clear. In the face of ideological threats, Mohammed VI committed to a moderate Islam rooted in the Maliki school of jurisprudence, Ash‘ari theology, and Sunni Sufism—traditions long familiar in much of West Africa. This shared theological heritage fosters deeper connections between Morocco and sub-Saharan African nations.
It was no coincidence that King Mohammed VI appointed historian and former African Studies Institute director Ahmed Toufiq as Minister of Islamic Affairs in 2002. His academic and administrative background positioned him to restructure Morocco’s religious sphere—what the king refers to as the geopolitics of belief. After the 2003 Casablanca bombings, the approach became more defined: centralization, restructuring, and supervision of religious affairs became national priorities.
A Religious Think Tank
This strategy translated into the rapid modernization of religious institutions: the High Council of Ulema was reorganized and became the sole authority to issue fatwas. In 2006, the Mohammedian League of Ulema was created as a religious think tank promoting a rational understanding of Islam that addresses contemporary challenges. Meanwhile, the Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams, Male and Female Religious Guides has become the face of moderate Moroccan Islam.
Every year, dozens of students graduate from the institute, hailing from sub-Saharan Africa and even France, trained to promote tolerant Islam capable of resisting extremist ideologies. “Morocco’s training offer meets a real need for moderate Islam without undermining the sovereignty of partner states,” explains Ahmed Iraqi, a researcher in international economic relations.
Perhaps the most prominent religious soft power institution is the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Ulema, inaugurated in Rabat in 2016. Built in just six months under royal direction, it hosts African clerics, forges long-term relationships with local religious elites, and organizes cross-border dialogue around locally adapted Islam. “This diplomacy fosters a favorable environment for long-term investment,” Iraqi adds. It brings both stability and legitimacy.
The Central Role of Sufi Orders
This institutional strategy is reinforced by a highly organized Sufi dimension. The Tijaniyya order—whose founder’s shrine is in Fez—plays a central role in Moroccan influence in Senegal, Mali, and Côte d’Ivoire. The Qadiriyya Boutchichiyya order (active in France, Belgium, the UK, and Canada) serves as a spiritual bridge in the West. These zawiyas, though humble in appearance, are powerful and not in conflict with political authority—they complement it. “When a Sufi sheikh is invited to royal Ramadan nights, it’s as if he’s saying: I’m here, I can mediate if needed.”
All of this reflects a delicate balance between tradition and modernity. The king does not merely delegate—he embodies this spiritual authority. During Ramadan, he hosts hundreds of scholars from around the world, some of whom deliver sermons in his presence. These carefully staged events reinforce his position as a spiritual leader of tolerant Islam. “There’s a performance aspect on the international stage,” says one researcher quoted by Jeune Afrique, adding: “This is a royal lineage that claims descent from the Prophet.”
Even the Moroccan Qur’an has become a diplomatic instrument. With its unique script and layout, it is printed and widely distributed in West African mosques, directly competing with Saudi and Egyptian versions—another way to assert presence and influence.
